Copyright vs. Community - Free Software and Beyond
by
Matt Lee
Contributions
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Published on
Jan 21, 2009 08:22 AM
Oslo, Norway. Storsalen at Chateau Neuf, Slemdalsveien 15. Map: http://www.uio.no/om_uio/kart/zoom/bl38.html . Copyright, developed in the age of the printing press, was designed to
fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing
press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer
networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.
The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for
draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers, while
suppressing public access to technology. But if we seriously hope to
serve the only legitimate purpose of copyright--to promote progress, for
the benefit of the public--then we must make changes in the other
direction.
As an introduction, Richard Stallman will speak about the goals
and philosophy of the Free Software Movement. The GNU operating
system which he launched in 1984 is used by millions of users
in conjunction with the kernel, Linux. This speech will be accessible to all audiences and the public is encouraged to attend.